Refugees in Switzerland who return home to face tougher treatment

Swiss law already strips someone who voluntarily does this of refugee status. Anyone voluntarily returning home is assumed to no longer be persecuted in that state and therefore no longer in need of refugee status.

This week a States Council commission supported the idea of shifting the burden of proof, a idea put forward by a Federal Council commission in March. This means the refugee will need to prove they didn’t travel home.

In addition, the States Council commission supported extending the scope to include countries sharing a border with the home country. This would mean a refugee from Eritrea travelling to Ethiopia would be stripped of their refugee status.